Bring Me To Life
by Voldemort's Lovechild
Summary: Ronni has always liked Hermione. Been their for her. Guided her. Loved her. Draco has always wanted Ronni, but when she refuses he issues an ultimatum that she will never refuse. Can she escape? Can she save her love, and, most importantly, can she save herself from becoming a stone? R&R pleeeeeeeeeease :) Ronni takes on the persona of another charcter in the later chapters...
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"What the hell is wrong with you?"  
I turned and faced him, defiance caked all over my olive-toned, high cheek-boned face.  
"Nothing. I'm actually the happiest, and probably the healthiest I've been in a _very _long time."  
The amount of disdain on his face was sickening.  
"It's people like you that inspire You-Know-Who! It's people like you that are what's wrong with the world!"  
Hermione gasped in outrage, a look of stormy fury rapidly etching itself across her perfect face. I merely laughed bitterly.  
"Do you ever see gay people treating people like their nothing, just because of their ethnicity? Do you ever hear of a gay person stomping on elf rights? Wars are caused by hatred and prejudice against anything different! So, no, I think it's you that's what's wrong with the world."  
I turned away from him, and faced Hermione. Faced the girl who had stirred everything up. Faced the girl who had set me free.  
"We're leaving. He doesn't own me anymore."  
She moved closer to me, her golden hair caressing my face. She reached her arms around my neck, her lips inches from mine.  
"He never did."  
Our mouths met, and there was a cry of fury. A flash of startling-green light grazed my face as it found its target.  
"NO!"


	2. Hello, Again

**Hello, Again  
**"Whittaker, Veronica!"  
I gulped – no turning back. I'd known that the moment I heard the owl tapping on the window. I'd known I wasn't destined for 'muggle' life. It had taken me six days to escape to London. Even longer to find my way to Diagon Alley. I suppose that's my fault – but if guidance had been able to find me, so would the asylum. I would NEVER go back. I made a promise. My parents would rue the day they abandoned me – left me for dead because I was different. They. Would. PAY.  
I made my way to the rickety, old stool and sat down, shakily. There was a slight pause as the hat was placed upon my sleek, blue-black hair, and then the world was shut out.  
"Hmm, this decision is one of great uncertainty. There's an extraordinary amount of talent brewing there, oh yes. An excellent thirst for knowledge. And what's this? You seek revenge, my child? Perhaps you would do well in..."  
I stopped the hat from yelling to the whole hall. Revenge was crucial, and yet it did not sum up my personality.  
_I seek the knowledge to carry it out successfully. I seek justice, yes, but I seek knowledge beyond everything else.  
_"Well...In that case...I think I'll put you in RAVENCLAW!"  
I breathed a sigh of relief, and practically skipped over to the table. It was just as the last person had been sorted that I looked across the hall, and my heart skipped a beat. Waving at me, beaming brightly was Hermione Granger. Freckles, bushy hair, slightly oversized teeth, the whole caboodle. I waved back, dumfounded, probably with an expression on my face that made me look the opposite of what my house stood for. She had been at my primary school. She had been the one person who hadn't pushed me away. The one person whom I could talk to. Whom I could trust. Whom I could love. She had visited me every day in that place. Had comforted me. And she was a witch too. I couldn't take this. Not now.  
_Pull yourself together, Whittaker! She never hurt you! Eat, get some sleep, and forget. Be yourself, not your shadow.  
_I couldn't forget. Not the hate. Not the abuse. Not the 'madness'. Not her. I remember the first time she ever spoke to me, as if it were only yesterday...  
...5 years previously...  
I was sat on a picnic table on the far side of the playground, writing the lyrics to a song I'd had in my head for a while – hard to think of anything else from the inside of a barred cell...a cage.  
_Wake me up inside,  
Wake me up inside,  
Call my name and save me from the dark.  
Bid my blood to run,  
Before I come undone,  
Save me from the nothing I've become.  
_'Hey, Veronica.'  
I stood up immediately, bracing myself to be kicked, punched, or humiliated in some other way.  
'I'll move.'  
'No, I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to say that even if _they_ treat you badly, I'm not going to...Will you be my friend?'  
I looked straight into her chocolate eyes, so full of happiness, of love...of light. I was only allowed light when I was at school. The light in her eyes was relieving, almost as though it were freeing me from the hovel that I now had to call home. What I did next irrevocably sealed the door to the future that would one day haunt me forever...I nodded. She sat next to me, and began to introduce herself, when I cut across her.  
'You're Hermione Granger. Your daddy does my teeth.'  
'Yes. He's a children's speci...speci...speciwist.'  
She struggled to get the word out through her brace, but I understood. She then noticed the lyrics.  
'I like that song. I hear it on the radio a lot.'  
'Why don't you sing it?'  
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Expecting her to recoil away, shyly, I hung my head. A quiet, beautiful sound caused me to look up, and smile broadly. Hermione was singing. Singing, as nobody had ever sung to me before. I waited for her to finish, and then clapped viciously – I was only six after all. She scooted closer to me, and lent her head on my shoulder. Before I could stop myself, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I kissed the top of her head. I felt her cheek lift, and knew that she was smiling.  
'I love you, Ronni.'  
Nobody had ever said that to me before. As tears sprang to my eyes, I decided that I was always going to be known by that name... I would always be _her_ Ronni. I gulped, trying to hide my emotion for as long as possible.  
'I love you, too.'


	3. Old Time's Sake

**Old Time's Sake **

I ran. I didn't even stop to think at all the people staring at me as I sprinted from the hall – I HAD to get out. I finally stopped at the end of a corridor, thinking hard. I began to pace. _I need a place to hide, somewhere I can be alone, somewhere I can think._ Suddenly, the wall transformed itself into an open door. I went through, it my mouth fell open. It was a room full of paper for me to scribble lyrics on, and beanbags for me to just 'be' on. I collapsed into the nearest one, and faced a small circular window, thinking. The same lyrics went round and round in my head on a loop -  
"_Wake me up inside, wake me up inside_..."  
"_Call my name and save me from the dark_."  
I wheeled around at the sound of her voice, fear flooding through me.  
"Ronni, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you, it's me."  
I looked at her, and without thought pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, clinging on for dear life, sobs shaking my whole body.  
"I thought I'd never see you again – I thought they'd got you."  
She held me at arms length and smiled – smiled as nobody else could.  
"They did, but I got away. One minute, I was chained to the wall, and the next I'd vanished. I woke up in a pub – the Three Broomsticks? Anyway, I told the barmaid what had happened, and she took me to Dumbledore. He sent a note to my parents, and well, here I am."  
I'd stopped after _chained to the wall_. Slowly, I took her wrists and examined them – they were deeply cut from the manacles at that place. I took a handkerchief from my pocket, split it in two, and wrapped them around her wrists to numb the pain. She looked at me, sparks flying in her chocolate eyes.  
"Ronni? What were you trying to tell me? When you'd escaped and we ran to the meadow?"  
I paused as I relived the flashback – the scariest memory of my life...  
...A week before...

We ran. We only had minutes before the alarm went off, alerting the guard. We ran as fast as we could. When we finally arrived, we both collapsed in the long grass, panting.  
"We made it. We saved you." She looked at me, smiling in relief. I gulped, preparing to say the thing I'd wanted to say since the first time she'd visited me.  
"No, Hermione. You saved me. You kept me sane, you're the reason I'm still alive. You're...RUN!"  
They'd found us – they were quicker than we'd thought. I ran, grabbing her hand, but they were too quick. They seized her around the middle, and began to drag her away, screaming.  
"HERMIONE! NO! HERMIONE, I...I..."  
"GET OUT OF HERE! GO!"  
I ran. I left her to save my own skin. The girl that had given me hope – had given me so much more.  
...Present Day...  
I looked straight into her eyes, so close that I could've counted the amount of freckles on her face.  
"Hermione Granger, I love you."  
I kissed her – kissed her with everything impossible for me to put into words. I pulled away, smiling faintly, a single tear rolling down my face.  
"You brought me to life."


	4. My Immortal

**My Immortal**

There was silence as I tried to identify the expression on Hermione's face. I wasn't scared – I'd faced rejection since the age of three. I was used to people not loving me back. I tucked a strand of her frizzy hair behind her ear, and bowed my head, a single tear rolling down my bony cheek.  
"I'll go now...I'm sorry I dragged you into this, you didn't deserve..."  
The rest of my sentence was cut off as Hermione launched herself at me, crushing her lips against mine. When we finally ran out of oxygen, we broke apart, Hermione beaming at me.  
"Remember when we first met, Ronni, I told you I loved you?"  
I nodded, tears of happiness flowing steadily from my eyes.  
"I meant every word."  
She kissed me again, and pulled me into a tight hug – for the first time in my life, I felt safe. I felt happy – I felt immortal. SHE was my immortal.

**Sorry the chapter is so short, I just thought it fitted nicely with the rest of the story so far – future updates will be longer! Please keep reviewing, I want to know if this is any good! Love to all :D**


	5. Fatal Attraction

**Just a quick shout out to writer Rose Zaki – an excellent author, a true fangirl, and a good friend :)**

**Fatal Attraction**

As the weeks went by, it grew increasingly difficult to stay subtle about the relationship. What with us being in different houses, we rarely got the chance to spend more than mealtimes together. Instead of sitting with the rest of Ravenclaw, my lunchtimes were now spent in the shade of a magnificent tree in the grounds with Hermione, scoffing sandwiches and singing. Together, we were happy. Together, we were peaceful. Together, we were infinite. Unfortunately, we were unaware that fate would be testing the pair of us from the very beginning.  
As the weeks went by, I'd become more and more aware of his lingering presence...his constant staring...his lack of acknowledgement of my personal space... He was becoming a shadow – and it worried me. On this particular occasion, I was walking to Transfiguration after lunch, humming away in my own bubble of contentment, when he appeared from an archway to my right.  
"Whittaker."  
I nearly screamed out loud.  
"Christ, Draco, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"  
His sneer made my skin crawl.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. If I'd known you would spontaneously combust, I wouldn't have tried to talk to you."  
I restrained myself from slapping him – we were in broad daylight, after all.  
"Make it quick, Malfoy, I have somewhere to be, as do you."  
He smirked and moved closer – uncomfortably close.  
"You know what I want."  
His voice was so low, it was almost indecent. I stepped back deliberately, meeting his steely grey eyes.  
"You know, Malfoy, I really don't. Is this about those adult nappies you wanted? Only I'll need a deposit for those."  
Once I was sure that enough people were laughing at his expense, I walked away beaming. Taking a bully down a peg would always feel good, no matter what their social background was. As far as I was concerned, a Malfoy DEFINATELY deserved what they got. However, this Malfoy was not so easy to shake off. I was walking back from dinner, having spent most of it laughing – Hermione had tickled me until I sang to her – when I heard a sob from inside a classroom. I walked slowly to the door, and peered round it, anxious to help the person.  
"What's the matter? Do you need me to fetch anyone for you?"  
He stood up, and the door banged shut behind me. Realising my mistake, I began to edge slowly towards the window – we were only on the ground floor. If I climbed out and went the long way round, I could get back to the common room. He was too quick for me, slapping me across the face so hard that I fell heavily onto the stone floor.  
"Nobody humiliates a Malfoy, you vicious little bitch! Nobody defiles our family's honour!"  
He wasn't shouting, but he didn't need to. There was enough venom in his voice to poison the five thousand.  
"_PETRIFICUS TOTALUS_!"  
My arms sprang to my sides – I was completely paralysed. I could barely move my eyes to look at him. He took a small bottle of something from his pocket, and proceeded to pour it all over my immobile body.  
"I'm going to give you a little reminder of what happens when you mess with me, princess. _INCENDIO!_"  
The liquid ignited immediately, burning through my clothes and onto my bare skin. As the flames reached the tips of my hair, Draco began to laugh – a low, dirty laugh. Quite suddenly, he keeled over backwards, the etch of his smarmy grin still on his face. She ran over to me, extinguishing the flames without even using her wand.  
"Ronni? RONNI! Ronni, say something! Anything!"  
She tried to pull me up, but my body stayed as rigid as ever. She pointed her wand at my chest.  
"_Eneverate_."  
I sat up, coughing ash from my mouth. Hermione gasped as she saw my face.  
"Ronni, what has he done to you?!"  
Slowly, she traced across my cheeks, down my neck, and onto my stomach. Gritting my teeth, I looked down at myself, and had to prevent myself from vomiting. Thick, angry scars stretched across my exposed body, gently trickling blood from the depth of the flames. Without thinking, without caring what damage to my body had been caused, I seized Hermione's face and kissed her. That kiss held many things that couldn't be put into words – _thank you. For saving me. For continuing to be my saviour. For being here...for loving me._ She pulled back, and smiled.  
"You are one hell of a kisser. You managed to kiss your scars away."  
I reached up and felt my face – it was completely smooth. I smiled back at her, forever grateful for her company, for her wisdom – for her everything.  
"Hermione, I didn't vanish them. You did. You loved them away. You rescued me...again!"  
She pulled me into a warm hug, and began to sing.  
_"I may not have the softest touch.  
I may not say the words as such,  
And though I may not look like much..."  
_I smiled into her neck, and lifted my face to harmonise the ending with her.  
_"I'm yours."  
_We stayed cuddling like that for a few minutes longer, and then Hermione gently pushed me off her, taking her jumper off in the process.  
"Wear this, Ronni, you must be freezing."  
As I pulled it on, she pointed her wand at Malfoy, binding him in thick rope against the far wall of the room. She then beckoned me over to her.  
"This git won't know what's hit him. _Reneverate_."  
Before Malfoy could even begin to speak, Hermione gagged him.  
"Touch her again, and I'll burn YOU. Understood, Malfoy?"  
He nodded, struggling frantically against the ropes. I bent forward and removed his gag.  
"Let me free! As a Malfoy, of significantly higher authority than you, I command you to release me!"  
I mocked thinking about it.  
"How about...no?"  
Laughing, I pulled Hermione into a deep kiss, my arms wrapping themselves around her shoulders.  
"MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!"  
We broke apart, snorting with laughter at Malfoy's fumingly red face. Hermione and I looked at each other, beginning to speak in unison.  
"Malfoy, you seem to be overestimating our ability to care."


	6. Efficient Ecstasy

**Thanks to all my beautiful reviewers – I love you more than jelly tots! Keep reading, and I'll try to keep it worth reading xxx It's another short one, but it's essential to the plot.**

**Efficient Ecstasy**

Over the years, our relationship became more and more pushed to the limit. O.W.L.s arrived, along with stress, arguments, and constant revision. Despite all of that, we still stayed as strong as anything – love would forever conquer.  
"Quills down, please. Stay silent as I collect your papers. Once your paper has been collected, you may go, but stay quiet – there are still people working."  
Professor Vector waved her wand twice, and the exam papers zoomed into her outstretched bag. I quietly left the hall, anticipating what I was about to face. Sure enough, I turned the corner to find a panicky Hermione, tears streaming down her face. Neither of us said anything – we didn't need to. It was clear from her face what she wanted to say. I pulled her into a tight hug, stroking her back soothingly.  
"Hey. You are 'the brightest witch of your age', Lupin said. You are brilliant, and if those examiners disagree, I'll curse their balls off."  
She chuckled, pulling away from me.  
"You say all the right things."  
I moved closer, my voice lowered to a whisper.  
"I've been practising."  
I kissed her gently, and then pulled back. I'd been planning this moment for a long time.  
"There's something I want to show you."  
I took her hand, gently pulling her to a room that meant a lot to me – the room where it had all started.  
"Close your eyes."  
She began to peek, and I mock slapped her arm. I led her inside, closed the door, and then rejoined her.  
"Open."  
The sparks that flew in her eyes could've set alight several villages. The walls had the lyrics of all the songs we'd ever sung intertwined all over them in golden, shimmering calligraphy courtesy of Luna Lovegood. However, what took centre-stage was a large bed in the shape of an otter, the form that both of our patronuses took. As she examined one of the far walls, I gulped – I hoped this was the right moment. Slowly, I removed my tie, and unbuttoned my blouse, breathing heavily.  
"Ronni, this is beau..."  
She trailed off as she saw me, stood only in my underwear at the edge of the bed, probably looking very guilty.  
"I want to be with you forever. In EVERY way...but if you aren't ready, then I don't want to pressurise you."  
She opened her mouth to say something, closed it slowly, shook her head slightly, and promptly pounced on me. I'd call this a victory for team Whittaker.

**(I won't go into details here – We all know what happens when people get 'happy')  
**

I fell back onto the pillow, euphoria glowing from every bone in my body. I turned to Hermione, only to find that she'd fallen asleep. Smiling, I kissed her hair, and snuggled up. We both deserved a break. We both worked too hard for too long not to have one. Little did we know that our perseverance was NOT going to pay off...


	7. Going Under

**Warning – themes of blackmail and severe threat. Not for potterheads who can't take heartbreak. Enjoy, and keep reviewing!**

**Going Under**

After that night, I felt safer than ever. Sleeping in Hermione's arms every night stopped any fear I had of being put back into that place...being dragged back to hell. How naive I was...I was to be dragged straight to hell, kicking and screaming – it was just an alternative route.

Hermione and I were in a compartment towards the end of the train, preparing to exit for King's Cross. For me to exit home.  
"I'll miss you. This year has just been..."  
I tried to continue, but I found I didn't have words. Instead, I kissed her gently but with as much emotion as I could. She pulled back, smiling.  
"Don't worry, Ronni. I've got withdrawal already. Trust me, you'll get the bonk of your life when we come back."  
Snorting with laughter, I hoisted our trunks off the train, stretching my hand out to help her off too. Then, without warning, I squeezed her into a tight hug.  
"I love you."  
She smiled – the smile that belonged to happy Hermione. The smile that belonged to beautiful Hermione. The smile that belonged to MY Hermione. She didn't need to say it back, that one smile said everything. She picked up her trunk, and waved as she walked through the barrier, back to her parents. My hand was still raised in farewell when I heard him. I didn't even have time to gasp before he'd covered us both in an invisibility cloak. Covering my mouth with his large hand, he dragged me into a fireplace.  
"MALFOY MANOR" he shouted, throwing dust into the flames.  
The fire turned a violent shade of green, and I felt myself spinning in his choking grip, whirling to a halt inside a huge room filled with marble pillars. He dropped me so hard, I thought the floor would crack. I was so dazed, I didn't even try to resist as he dragged me to one of the pillars, pulling me upright with as much force as he could. Silver chains began to magically bind me to the pillar, wrapping around me so tightly that they cut into my skin – it gave me a very bad sense of déjà vu. As soon as he knew I couldn't move, he sneered hungrily before pressing his lips to mine so hard it was as if he were trying to make my head implode. I stayed as still as possible – once he figured out that he wouldn't get a response from me, he would stop. Sure enough, he pulled away, smirking all over his rodent-like face. Which I promptly spat in. Right between his emotionless grey eyes. An almighty CRACK sounded as he slapped me. He then grabbed my face so that we were almost nose to nose.  
"Now listen here, you stinking piece of muggle filth! I have been set an assignment that will change everyone's lives forever. Unfortunately, I need your help for that, but I will SO enjoy it. You've gotten away from me for the last time, Whittaker. You WILL help me kill Albus Dumbledore. You WILL help my master regain his former glory. You WILL become my wife."  
I had been ignoring him completely, preparing for the 'just kill me now' speech, but his last comment jostled me from my daydream.  
"I will NEVER marry you."  
He merely grinned, as if we'd arrived at his favourite part of my capture.  
"Oh, dear sweet _Ronni_, I think you will. You wouldn't want to make me angry...I might go crazy and kill someone – like our dear Granger."  
Before I could protest, he forced my mouth open and poured a silvery substance that was neither liquid nor gas straight down my throat. What I saw next would haunt me for the rest of my life. Implanted, forever in my mind, was the image of Hermione lying completely still, as if frozen. Not a single spark was alive in her chocolate brown eyes, her face gaunt and her mouth gaping in shock. Another figure entered the image, and I realised that it was me crouching beside her, hugging her to me, weeping, knowing it was of my own doing. Knowing that I murdered Hermione Granger. Knowing that, though she had brought me to life, I had taken hers away. I had no choice, and he knew it. I looked back at Malfoy, tears of despair flowing steadily down my face.  
"Tell me what I have to do."


	8. Rediscovery

**Chapter length will now vary considerably – this style suits the plot, sorry! :P Keep reviewing, my gorgeous followers xxx**

**Rediscovery**

My name was now Astoria Greengrass – Veronica Whittaker had been completely eradicated from society. Malfoy's theory had been that if he kept me locked away in his manor for several months, people would be to busy looking for me to concentrate on Dumbledore's security. When it became apparent that this plan was not succeeding, he had one of Voldemort's ministry spies pretend to have found my body buried at the bottom of a river, triggering the grief of everyone at Hogwarts and gaining him access to Dumbledore's mortality. When this was also a failure, he took more drastic action. Under the imperius curse, he forced me (and I say forced because I was strong enough to be resistant) to steal a vanishing cabinet from Borgin and Burkes. The cabinets were twins, and so created a sort of passage between them, like a twisted vortex. He sent his death eater booty-kissers through it, and the deed was done. Albus Dumbledore was dead. Not by Malfoy's hand, he was too much of a coward for that. Instead, he had forced polyjuice potion down my neck, transforming me into a hook-nosed, greasy-haired wart of a man. To onlookers, Severus Snape murdered Dumbledore. But it would be forever in my conscience. I didn't feel sad, however. I didn't truly feel anything anymore. I'd become a reflection of his eyes. I'd become a rock. I'd become the female Voldemort. All I felt was hatred of him – of everyone that had ever tried to stop me. That is, until we ran back through the castle. I knew that Potter would follow me – it was kind of the whole reason for him to exist – but I never expected her. Potter changed course, heading straight for Malfoy. She, however, kept running after me.  
"I TRUSTED YOU! WE ALL TRUSTED YOU! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A COWARD!"  
For a split second, I froze, knowing that her words were all too true. I wanted to explain, to run back to the safety of her embrace. The image of her lifeless body floated to the front of my brain, and continued to sprint, trying to get as far away from Hermione as possible. As I was running, I felt my hair grow longer and silkier, realising the polyjuice potion was wearing off. As I reached the end of the grounds, I pulled out my wand ready to disapparate as soon as I got outside the castle walls, when I heard her gasp.  
"Ronni?"  
Her question was less than whisper, but it acted as a trigger, shooting my heart into a thousand pieces. Slowly, I turned, pointing my wand directly at her face.  
"Stay back. I mean it!"  
She had been edging closer to me, as if trying to figure out whether I was real or not.  
"I thought you were dead."  
The amount of defeat in her voice was almost equal to the amount in mine.  
"To all intensive purposes, I am. I no longer exist...And, I can never see you again. Forget me. Forget everything, before it's too late...before he hurts you."  
I felt my robes moisten, and realised I was sobbing continuously. I could barely recognise one emotion from another now. She moved even closer to me, her hands tracing the various welts and bruises Malfoy had caused to etch upon my face.  
"What happened to you?"  
Stepping back, I raised my wand and did the only thing I knew would work – I began to sing.  
"_I'm so tired of being here.  
Suppressed by all my childish fears.  
And if you have to leave,  
I wish you would just leave,  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone._"  
To anybody other than us, this would've seemed to have been the climax of some stupid Disney movie that everyone at primary school had been addicted to. To Hermione, though, it was the only method of communication worth listening to. She carried on the song, pleading through the lyrics for me to stay.  
_"These wounds won't seem to heal.  
This pain is just too real.  
There's just too much that time cannot erase.  
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
_She grabbed my free hand and held it to her face, as though it were her lifeline. It killed me to do it, but it had to be done – I had no choice now. As she continued, I raised my wand higher.  
"_And I held your hand through all of these years..."  
_"OBLIVIATE!"  
Her eyes glazed over, wiping any memory of me from her head in an instant. I walked to the school gate, preparing to leave behind everything that I'd ever loved. I took one last look back, and nearly gave up on everything. She looked so disorientated. Quietly, making sure I couldn't be seen, I passed through the gate, hoping the wind would carry my words to her heart.  
"_But you still have all of me."_


	9. Retribution

**Chapter length will now vary considerably – this style suits the plot, sorry! :P Keep reviewing, my gorgeous followers xxx A special thanks to Rose Zaki for her continued support of my dwindling talents ;)**

**Retribution**

Now that my existence had been obliterated from the wizarding world, I now had only one purpose in life – retribution. All those years ago, I had told the sorting hat that I craved the knowledge to carry out revenge on the people that had turned me into the raving masochist that I had become. My time approached – now that Voldemort had been defeated, Malfoy had no real need for me. I was a mere status symbol. Astoria Greengrass, pure-blood perfection. However, my experience of the Death Eaters had left an imprint on my mind. I now knew what had to be done – and I no longer had the compassion to resist the opportunity. Making sure Malfoy was asleep, I climbed out of the window slowly, careful not to cause him to stir. Once out of earshot, I disapparated back to the place where it all began – I went home. The asylum was bigger than I remembered. The village must have grown even more judgemental over time. From what I discovered during my time at Hogwarts, my younger brother was in here somewhere. They hadn't chucked him in because he showed magical ability, nothing like that. No, they'd abandoned the first child for that reason. The second desertion was due to the fact that their son and heir had developed epilepsy, and they couldn't have that. Think of the shame that would bring on the family!  
"Alohomora."  
The door silently clicked, and I pushed it open gently, trying not to creak. Immediately, I spotted the guards' office. How I longed to shoot them all dead in one slash of my wand. But, no. I had work to do.  
"Muffliato."  
"Who's there? I know you're there, I can see you."  
I turned slowly to face the brother I could've known...could've grown up with...could've loved.  
"Hello, Billy. Long time, no see."  
His eyes, precisely the same shape, size and colour of mine, narrowed in confusion.  
"Do I know you?"  
He didn't sound worried, just curious. I squeezed through the bars of his cell – life with the now disgraced Malfoy's had stripped me of any bulk I had gained at Hogwarts, but this didn't concern me. Starvation was not a new concept.  
"If life were perfect, we would be closer than close. I'm Veronica, your sister. You were barely a week old the last time I saw you."  
I expected him to shrink away from me, his head probably full of our mother's prejudices and superstitions. Instead, he slowly reached out and touched my arm with his hand.  
"I knew you'd come back. One day. I knew you wouldn't forget me. I knew you'd save me."  
The amount of faith shown in his childish face nearly brought tears to my eyes – only one other person had ever looked at me like that before, and they now had no recollection of it.  
"I haven't come to rescue you, Billy. You are the only person that can truly do that. I've come to cure you. Don't move."  
I slowly raised my wand to his right temple.  
"Episkey."  
He ran his fingers over his head gingerly, as though searching for scorch marks. Satisfied that I hadn't done him any harm, he pulled me into a gentle hug. He didn't thank me, but he didn't need to. Every conceivable emotion was poured into that hug. I let go, grinning for the first time in months.  
"C'mon. It's time we got our own back."  
...

Walking up the drive was a surreal experience. Although I knew it had always been unwelcome territory, it still held elements of home to me even now. I motioned for Billy to stay hidden behind me – this was my fight, I didn't need him getting injured as well. My wand now out, I took a deep breath, and rapped my knuckles twice on the door. I heard our father grunt from the other side of the door, as he heaved his abnormally large backside out of the armchair. There was the sound of a chain being unbolted, and then a large, flabby face appeared in the doorway. I made sure that he couldn't see my face – I wanted the penny to drop at exactly the right moment.  
"Can I help you?"  
I focused my eyes on the welcome mat.  
"That's ironic."  
"I'm sorry?"  
"That welcome mat. It's ironic that you own one, when you've never made anybody welcome in the entirety of your sad, prejudice life."  
The irritation in his voice made me smile – nothing had changed, then.  
"Look, what is it you want? If you don't need anything remotely important, you can get off my property!"  
The time was right. I lifted my head, looking him straight in the eye.  
"Hello, Daddy. Remember me?"  
To cover the fact that he'd been staring at me with his mouth wide open like an excessively brain-damaged walrus, he puffed himself up to his full height of 4ft 11.  
"You are no daughter of mine. I thought we were shot of the likes of you when we sectioned your halfwit brother, but evidently we will have to try harder in our battle against Satan. Ah, Helen, come. See what the devil's spawn has become."  
My mother appeared in the doorway, and promptly clapped her hands to her mouth in such a dramatic fashion that Billy mimed being sick behind me. She looked at my face, and actually turned pale.  
"May the lord have mercy on your soul."  
"Billy? You can come out now, I want you to see this."  
Billy revealed himself, causing my father to finally reach the end of his tether. With a strangled cry, he seized Billy so hard that he was swept off his feet. My father then proceeded to strangle him. My wand was in his face so fast, it could have imbedded itself.  
"Relashio!"  
The spell missed and hit the wall as my mother grabbed me from behind, flinging me onto the concrete.  
"Plague us no more, Beelzebub!"  
I managed to struggle free, but by then I was to late – my brother lay dead, his mouth open in a vain attempt to gain some oxygen. All of the fury that had been brewing inside me from the very beginning began to overflow. Without even saying a word, I raised my wand and my father was thrown beside my mother, his head now oozing blood which formed ropes around the pair of them. Breathing heavily, I pointed my wand directly at the edge of both of their faces.  
"So long. It's been a _blast_. AVADA KEDAVRA!"  
I had no feeling of remorse as I conjured a coffin – the shape of a pentagram, just to annoy their judgemental souls. Then, I walked away, finally free of at least one burden.


	10. Me With No You

**Chapter length will now vary considerably – this style suits the plot, sorry! :P Keep reviewing, my gorgeous followers xxx A special thanks to Rose Zaki for her continued support of my dwindling talents ;)**

**Me With No You**

True to their dim-witted form, the ministry had pardoned Draco. In some ways, I suppose he was innocent, but the ministry didn't know the whole story – they were unaware how corrupted he had made me. I'd been happy once. Now, I was stuck being the emotionless wife of an ex-death eater. The only satisfaction I had was that I wasn't fulfilling all of my duties – he'd tried to get me to sleep with him, and then when I refused, tried to use force. He'd ended up with a broken nose. I may not have had the capacity to care whether I lived or died, but I was not going to have sex. I couldn't even consider it, the thought made me want to vomit. That, however was the only power I had – I couldn't defy him – his threat still hung in the air after all that time.  
"Get up, Whittaker."  
I woke with a start as a jug of icy water was poured directly onto my head.  
"Good morning to you too, _dearest_. What is it to be today, boil me in oil, or some other form of emotional torture?"  
When he slapped me, I barely felt a thing – it'd been three years, I was so familiar with it that it was like a morning cup of tea.  
"I've decided, it's time for you to start paying your way. You start your new job in two hours, so hurry up."  
He forced me into a ministry uniform, casting a spell to cover up any easily visible bruises or scars.  
"You are to report to the head of the Department of Magical-Law Enforcement to start your induction. Now, get out of my sight. You are to return by 8 o'clock."  
I wasted no time, disapparating before he could say any more. For the first time in years, I'd been let out – for the first time in years, I was free. I arrived at the ministry in time to see at least a thousand memos head in my direction. Ducking, I waited for them to reach me, before opening the only one actually addressed to me. The handwriting was so familiar, I almost broke down in the middle of the atrium.  
_Welcome to your new post at the Ministry, Mrs. Malfoy. I hope we make you feel welcome. Report to my office at the end of the level-four corridor to start your induction.  
Looking forward to working with you!  
H.J. Granger._  
I moved as though being directed by a puppeteer, not truly conscious of where I was walking. I stopped at the door, taking in the name-plate. It all made it seem real, rather than some drug-induced dream that Malfoy used to inflict on me. I took a deep breath, and knocked.  
"Come in."  
It took all of my concentration not to cry out at the sound of her voice. Shakily, I entered her office, keeping my head down – if I looked at her, my restraint would crack.  
"Hi, Miss Granger. I'm the new placement, Astoria Malfoy."  
True to herself, she immediately began talking in one big rush as she saw me.  
"Oh my gosh, hello, welcome to the ministry! I'm Miss Granger, but never call me that, it's Hermione. You'll be working alongside me to supervise magical events and generally keep people in order, often working alongside magical creatures such as elves and goblins. It's so good you're here..."  
She trailed off, catching sight of my face. We stood in silence for what seemed like hours, with me just waiting for her to work it out. Slowly, she moved forward, tears slowly rolling down her face.  
"You're crying."  
She was now so close that we were practically touching.  
"I don't know why I'm crying, I just feel so sad and happy at the same time...It's odd, it's like...like I've found something I lost a long time ago. Something special. Do I...do I know you? Have we met before?"  
Gulping to prevent my tears, I began to turn away from her.  
"I'll come back later, you're obviously not yourself."  
I made to leave, when I felt her hand on my arm.  
"Don't leave me."  
I turned back to face her, the tears having now escaped my eyes. All the pain I'd kept inside during our years apart flooded out. Her hand moved from my arm and cupped my face, lapping up my tears. Suddenly realising what she was doing, Hermione pulled pack, her hands covering her face in embarrassment.  
"What the hell is happening to me? Who are you?"  
Without thinking, with out even considering the consequences, I began to tell her everything – tell her in the only way I could. I began to sing.  
_"I'm not lost, I just haven't found everything I need  
I'm not torn, I'm just getting it together.  
I'm not broken, don't ya mind the pieces of me  
You see scattered on the ground  
I swear I'll turn this all around."  
_Hermione looked up, and continued, re-closing the gap between us, her face quizzical.  
"_I'm not home, but I'm sitting here in my room.  
I'm a photograph in need of a zoom.  
I feel far away, I can't make out the face."  
_I took a deep breath, and looked into her eyes – still so full of light. I took in the chocolaty love reflected back at me, and my heart stopped. She remembered, even if it was only sub-consciously.  
"_It's all blurred since you went away._"  
Hermione looked at me, sparks of remembrance beginning to flash within her eyes. It wasn't completely there, but I could tell she was fighting the memory charm.  
"Why did you marry Malfoy? C'mon, we all know he's an arsehole..."  
I ran my hand through my tangled, black hair in desperation, and continued the song.  
"_I'm a mark, I'm a martyr, I'm a victim, I'm a jerk  
I'm an engine that just doesn't seem to start.  
I'm a kingdom with no king, I'm a king without a crown  
So I fall down on my knees and I pray nobody sees."  
_I kissed her. There was no way I could stop myself, and I kissed her. With everything I'd ever felt, with everything I'd never told her. I broke away, leaving Hermione looking scared. I stepped back, lowering my head to hide the tears.  
"Thank you for the opportunity, Miss Granger, but I think I'll leave it here."  
I made to leave, when I heard it. And it shattered me.  
"_You got my attention, now please come back to me_."  
I turned to see her crying heavily now, smiling incredulously, and I knew.  
"Ronni."  
It was barely more than a whisper, but it worked. My resolve was cracked.  
_"I'm a circle incomplete  
I'm a heart that barely beats  
All the memories stay forever like tattoos  
I'm a star without a sky  
I'm hello with no goodbye  
I'm the dreams we had that never will come true  
That's me with no you  
Can't find the words to fit the melody  
But I swear that I could sing it - when you were here with me..."  
_The rest of the song was cut off by Hermione kissing me, and me melting into her. I held her as close as possible, scared to ever lose her again. We both hugged each other, crying so hard that our shirts were soaking. Finally, we released each other, blinking the tears away. I looked at her, smiling for the first time in what seemed like forever. I pointed at the soggy mess I had made of her blouse.  
"_That's me with no you_."  
_  
_


End file.
